Shy Chipmunk

This chipmunk wanted to see no camera, hear no camera - then a giant flash bulb drove him NUTS. The tiny rodent settled on a comfy stump before being startled by a photographer in a garden in Delaware, Ohio, United States. The Eastern Chipmunk was right at home in the garden of Mark Hardymon, 45, who caught his hilarious expressions on film.

 

"Don't take my picture! You're making me NUTS!"

A keen photographer, he tempts birds and other wildlife to the garden with seeds, the cute little thing's favourite food. Mr Hardymon, who builds custom houses for a living, made his furry friend comfortable by constructing his own little perch.

He said: 'I have an old piece of a dead tree set up with a flat rock resting in the crotch of the branches. The chipmunks live nearby and will often scramble up the trunk of the tree and feed on the bird seed there.

'The little chipmunk on this day climbed up on the perch for whatever reason and as animals so often do proceeded to groom himself, which is what you see in the photo. At that point it was just a matter of pushing the button as quickly as possible. Because it happened so quickly I didn't even know if I had captured it. It was only when I looked back I realised it looked exactly like he was pulling, see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil poses. Chipmunks can be pretty skittish but the bird food is a strong attraction. But once they find the food and realise nothing bad happens, they come and go comfortably.  I will set up my tripod a fair distance away and just sit and watch, often for hours as the antics of these creatures are pretty funny.'

Mr Hardymon, from Ohio USA, caught the photography bug in high school, and had a darkroom set up in his parents' basement. He said: 'After college and moving out there was no room for that so it was put on hold until about four years ago when I discovered how good digital had gotten.  I like to shoot wildlife and landscapes with a particular interest in bird photography. I find the birds fascinating and photographing them particularly challenging.'

 

Mr Hardymon's two pet dogs and cat don't make it easy though. 'They enjoy the wildlife but probably not in the way you might think,' he added.  'Their enjoyment comes mostly from chasing and occasionally catching, although that's not very often.'